by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 125,813 general studies students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 12,540 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major” ranking analyzed 420 colleges that offered a degree in general studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general studies.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The general studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major”.
Out of the 420 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Arlington Baptist University landed the #1 spot on the list. ABU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out of the 420 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Randall University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Moore, Oklahoma, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major. Teaneck, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 230 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kuyper College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major. Kuyper is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 3 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Out of the 420 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Oakwood University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Huntsville, Alabama, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #6, Concord University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major list. Concord University is a small school located in Athens, West Virginia that handed out 72 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Columbia College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 264 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Arkansas System eVersity came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking.
Read more about General Studies at University of Arkansas System eVersity
With a ranking of #9, Shepherd University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major list. This small school is located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
West Virginia University Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Beckley, West Virginia, this small public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full West Virginia University Institute of Technology General Studies Report
West Virginia State University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major list. Located in Institute, West Virginia, this small public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Louisiana State University - Alexandria landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. Louisiana State University - Alexandria is a small school located in Alexandria, Louisiana that handed out 93 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Louisiana State University - Alexandria General Studies Report
University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking, coming in at #13. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 399 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Mayville State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. This small school is located in Mayville, North Dakota, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Studies at Mayville State University
With a ranking of #15, Southeastern Louisiana University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major list. Hammond, Louisiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 189 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Morehead State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. Located in Morehead, Kentucky, this medium-sized public school handed out 131 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Studies at Morehead State University
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major list. Located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, this small public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
McNeese State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. Lake Charles, Louisiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 106 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a fairly large public school situated in Lafayette, Louisiana. It awarded 297 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Bluefield State College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. Located in Bluefield, West Virginia, this small public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking, coming in at #21. This small school is located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about General Studies at West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Fisk University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. This small school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Central Oklahoma came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school handed out 213 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Mississippi Valley State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major ranking. Mississippi Valley State University is a small public school situated in Itta Bena, Mississippi. It awarded 26 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about General Studies at Mississippi Valley State University
With a ranking of #25, Marshall University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major list. Marshall University is a fairly large school located in Huntington, West Virginia that handed out 168 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY |
| 52 | Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH |
| 53 | University of St. Thomas | Houston, TX |
| 54 | Murray State University | Murray, KY |
| 55 | Texas A&M University - Texarkana | Texarkana, TX |
| 56 | Central Baptist College | Conway, AR |
| 57 | Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester, NH |
| 58 | Fontbonne University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 59 | Washington Adventist University | Takoma Park, MD |
| 60 | Life University | Marietta, GA |
| 61 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 62 | Winston - Salem State University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 63 | Universidad del Turabo | Gurabo, PR |
| 64 | Ohio Christian University | Circleville, OH |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
